Veteran center Patrick Sharp and young defenseman Nick Leddy exemplify the mix that has keyed the Blackhawks' success over the past several seasons. / Dennis Wierzbicki Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Spor

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports

Every athlete wants to be part of a dynasty, yet no athlete will admit to having that desire.

The first rule of dynasties is that no one talks about being one.

"I'm not going to say that word," Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp says. "All I'm going to say is that we have a great setup in Chicago from the top down. ... We are excited in Chicago to see what we can do."

The Blackhawks have won two of the last four Stanley Cup championships, and a three-in-five run would be the best showing by any NHL team since the Detroit Red Wings won three Stanley Cup titles in six years from 1997 to 2002. The Edmonton Oilers won five championships in seven seasons from 1984 to 1990. The Oilers' run and the Red Wings' streak came before the salary cap was introduced in 2005.

The salary cap makes it challenging for general managers to keep teams together for an extended period.

"I'm not really good on what a dynasty is," Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman says. "I will leave that to the (news media). But I think we are striving to be a team that competes for the Cup every year - not for this season or the next season but a number of seasons."

Former NHL general manager Craig Button says he would call the Blackhawks a dynasty if they won another title.

"Back-to-back would cement it," Button says. "The New England Patriots won multiple Super Bowls in a salary-cap model, and they are considered a dynasty."

NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, a former NHL coach, also views the Blackhawks as a possible dynasty-in-the-making.

"It's very hard to win multiple Cups in the salary-cap era because of roster fluctuation and parity in the league," he says. "Regular-season games are really tough, and playoff games are off the charts."

The Blackhawks are favored in Las Vegas to win another Stanley Cup, mostly because they are essentially the same team they were last season, when they ranked second in the NHL in goals scored and first in goals against.

"I like to think we can play any kind of style," Sharp says. "That's not being arrogant or cocky. That's believing in our team and what we have done in the past."

When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, they were known as an offensive team. They could skate like the wind and light up the scoreboard. Today, with the core players more experienced, they are a far more complete team.

"For a couple of seasons, we were known as a high-flying, run-and-gun team, skilled offensive team, giving up a lot of scoring chances against," Sharp says. "One thing our team got better at, and the reason why we won the Cup, was we limited scoring chances against."

Chicago also started to bare its teeth against the tougher teams.

"In other buildings, we took a lot of heat about being a soft team or a skilled team," Sharp recalls. "It was, 'Let's hit these guys, and they will go away.'"

Today, the Blackhawks are a much grittier bunch, able to win in a variety of different ways. The addition of Johnny Oduya late in the 2011-12 season seemed to strengthen their defense.

"To me, the six defensemen that played every night for us was the best defensive corps in the league," Sharp says.

Corey Crawford has matured into one of the league's stingiest goaltenders. They can win hard-hitting games or goaltending duels or defensive battles.

"We are just getting started here," Bowman says. "I don't feel any sense of contentment about where we are at. Complacency is not a word that will be associated with the Blackhawks. They are hungry. They want to look ahead."

After the Blackhawks won in 2010, Bowman was forced by salary-cap issues to change 10 players on his roster. Although he was able to keep his core group, he had to rebuild the bottom of his roster.

This time he had a more favorable salary-cap position and only three regulars moved - Viktor Stalberg, Michael Frolik and Dave Bolland. He primarily made those moves to open up spots for his younger players.

"I think every time you have a great team you still need to add some new blood," says Scotty Bowman, the legendary Hall of Fame coach who serves as an adviser to his son.

Button says the secret of the Blackhawks' success has been their ability to find a supporting cast to go with their top players.

"You need both elements, and finding the balance both on the ice and in their salaries is key," Button says. "Stan has done an outstanding job in all facets."

Button is impressed that the Blackhawks make the tough decisions, such as moving this summer to trade Bolland. He was developed by the Blackhawks and helped them win two Stanley Cups, scoring the clinching goal last season.

"They felt they had to move him along, and they did," Button says. "They are decisive."

Bryan Bickell was expected to be one of the most-sought-after free agents this summer, but Chicago gave him $4 million a season to persuade him to stay.

The Blackhawks' hope for an extended run of success is strengthened by the fact that their top two stars, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, are 25 and 24, respectively. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson is 26, and Bickell is 27. Goaltender Corey Crawford and defenseman Brent Seabrook are 28. Duncan Keith is 30, Sharp is 31 and Marian Hossa is 34.

One of the emerging stars is Brandon Saad, 20, a rookie-of-the-year finalist and a candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. The Blackhawks believe strongly that developing their young talent is key to staying on top.

"There are a lot of different ways to win today," Stan Bowman says. "I don't think there is just one blueprint. We certainly have the way we believe in. I wouldn't proclaim all of the answers."

The team's identity centers on Toews and Kane, whose arrival in back-to-back drafts signaled the beginning of the Blackhawks' climb to the top.

"You have to have faith that your top players will get you through the tough times," Bowman says.

Bowman said during training camp that he expected Toews and Kane to be Blackhawks for life because he knew they liked the way the team did things.

"Once you find your core, you have to keep it, and we've done a really good job with that here," Kane says. "There were things set in place here before Johnny and I got here."

Sharp, Seabrook and Keith were on the roster before Toews and Kane arrived.

"We just seem to get better and better every year, and we are still a young group," Kane says. "What does that take to get better? I don't even think we know in here.

"We just like going out and competing."

Joel Quenneville seems to be the perfect coach for the group. He walks the fine line between being a disciplinarian and having a friendly relationship with his players.

"I haven't played for every coach in the league, but I have to believe Joel is the best at managing an 82-game season and playoffs," Sharp says. "He's great at giving guys days off and knowing when guys are tired or need to be pushed. He has a great feeling for how our team is playing."

Sharp says Quenneville also knows how to keep the season fun for players. Sharp recalls that he dressed up as the coach for a Halloween party. He wore a white mustache and carried note cards.

"Actually, people thought I was Phil Jackson," Sharp says.

But when Quenneville saw pictures, he said the only problem he had with the costume was that Sharp had too much hair on top of his head.

All of the Blackhawks have been talking about making sure the team has a good start. However, it will be difficult to match their start from last season, when they established an NHL record of 24 consecutive games without losing in regulation.

The Blackhawks also know that no team since the 1997-98 Red Wings has been able to win back-to-back NHL championships. But they don't really want to talk about that, either.

"That can be motivation," Toews says. "When you win the Stanley Cup, the talk is always about repeating. We understand that. But that's a long ways away.

"We have to focus on the start of the season and not make the mistakes we had the last time (in the 2010-11 season)."

This is a team that seems to emphasize taking one step at a time.

"We get asked a lot about Stanley Cup hangovers," Keith says. "We are looking at it in a positive way. We are looking at it as a challenge to get off to a good start."

What won't change this season will be the Blackhawks' approach: They will be a highly skilled team that will talk every day about defense.

Says Sharp: "(Quenneville) always says we are never going to have trouble scoring goals. It's keeping them out of our net that will make us a great team."